A GENTLEMAN AFTER DARK
(Small-United Artists)
MUCH of the story of this film takes place in the year 1923, but that scarcely seems sufficient reason for the director to have copied the
screen technique of the same period. Remove the sound and the dialogue and you would have a completely silent film; by which I mean that the actors do not act so much as visibly "register" their emotions, as of course they were forced to do in the days when pantomime was: almost their sole means of expression. It would, admittedly, be difficult for any cast not to "emote" in such a juicy, old-fashioned melodrama as this, The chief character, taken by Brian Donlevy, is in particular "a part to tear a cat in, to make all split’-a gentleman jewel thief reformed almost overnight by father love. Mr. Donlevy is in the middle of a daring coup one New Year’s Eve when his wife (Miriam Hopkins), somewhat casually presents him with a daughter, and from that moment the fingers which once itched to get at Mrs. Vanderbilt’s diamond necklace seek no more exciting occupation than that of rocking the cradle. This, while good for the soul, is of course, bad for business, so his wife (unnatural woman!), joins forces with» another crook and prepares to doublecross the doting father. Mr. Donlevy is therefore reluctantly compelled to murder the boy-friend and go to gaol for a long term in order to protect the baby from scandal. The hero’s boyhood pal, you see, is a detective (Preston Foster), and Mr. Donlevy strikes a bargain with Mr. Foster whereby the former will give himself up to the police provided the
fatter will rear the baby as His Very Own. But Mr. Donlevy has not yet finished with the exacting demands of father-love. Years later, when the detective has bacome a judge and the daughter is about to marry a Nice Boy, he has to break gaol so that he may send his wicked wife to her death and thus ensure that his daughter’s name shall get into no part of the paper except the Society Column. This is an Edward Small productionand in spite of the fact that it has had an extended season in Wellington, it must be regarded as one of that gentleman’s Smallest.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19430226.2.41.1.2
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 8, Issue 192, 26 February 1943, Page 23
Word count
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384A GENTLEMAN AFTER DARK New Zealand Listener, Volume 8, Issue 192, 26 February 1943, Page 23
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